[from steve_portigal] The Pyramid to Enlightenment is Upside-Down [design mind] – [Jon Kolko questioning Maslow as a framework. In my just-published interactions article (editor: Jon Kolko) I leverage Maslow as a framework for considering the consequences of product development/experiences] I've been thinking a great deal about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the one we all learned about in our introduction to psychology class in college. It's shaped like a pyramid (no, not the food pyramid – that's yet a different iconic reference that's been diluted through misuse and only partial understanding), and it describes the various artifacts, emotions, and qualities that we need to survive. At the base are things that most of us take for granted – basic needs like food and water, and needs tied to safety, like clothing and shelter. After these core elements, we move into more convoluted spaces where objects stop being so immediately provocative – things like love, self esteem, and the holy grail of self actualization, where we find things like creativity and ethics.